Volkswagen has released a new spot via FCB that shows New Zealand hockey captain Simon Child toying with the features of his Golf GTI after arriving to the hockey turf a little early. This spot follows on from VW's recent pulled ad, which invited criticism for showing unsafe practices. And while the new spot doesn't show any slipping and falling, it does tread into risky territory by focusing on the speed of the new vehicle.

Following the news that Volkswagen New Zealand was set to part ways with its agency of around two years, Colenso BBDO, and the recent discovery of dodgy software that cheated on emissions tests, FCB New Zealand has been handed the creative business—and been given a pretty big challenge to help the brand win back people's trust.

When it comes to corporations, history shows that consumers tend to forgive accidents—and even stupidity. But willful deception is another kettle of fish. And Volkswagen inventing technology to cheat on its emissions tests is about as willful and deceptive as it gets (if it wasn’t so evil, you could almost applaud their inventiveness). So far, it has had a major impact on Volkswagen’s share price (and other car brands’ share prices), it is getting ready for a recall of 11 million cars, billions of dollars in fines are on the cards and the first of what could be many lawsuits have already been filed. Some believe it could bring Volkswagen to its knees. So can the company recover from this reputational car crash? And what can marketers learn from the saga?

Social scoreboard

Zavy and StopPress have worked together to create a scoreboard that compares how the top 25 traditional media advertising spenders in New Zealand have performed on social media over the past 30 days, updated in real time.

The marketing world is keen on vending machine stunts, with stunts allowing them to accept everything from hugs to Canadian passports to piano playing to motionlessness (this trend was skewered nicely by Taxi). Now, in an effort to tackle pollution, Volkswagen has created one that accepts batteries instead of currency in Russia.

Now, if we had seen an ad, say 10 years ago that said “don’t selfie and drive” no one would have had a clue what that was about. But with new technology (and front-facing cameras) comes new dangers, and now Volkswagen has released a campaign which aims to stop drivers taking selfies while on the road.

DDB's ads for Volkswagen back in the 1960s are regarded as some of the best ever made, as evidenced by Think Small's first place on Ad Age's top 100 campaigns of the last century. And, as this parody called 'nine ways to improve an ad' from 1963 shows, it pays to remember that simplicity is still the best approach.

There's no better way to celebrate centuries of oppressive colonialism than with a series of sporting contests. Thankfully, we've got the Commonwealth Games for that. And while they might not be quite as prestigious (or popular) as the Olympics, official broadcaster Sky TV and NZ Olympic Committee sponsor ANZ are doing all they can to draw attention to the upcoming Glasgow games.

Not long after one seemingly solid agency-client partnership came to an end when 2degrees shifted from TBWA\ to Special, another seemingly solid agency-client partnership is also up in the air, with Volkswagen putting its business up for pitch. Plus: Hyundai's recent move.

Volkswagen hit a speed bump this year when it voluntarily (with the help of a bit of media pressure) recalled more than 2,500 cars due to reliability issues. However, it's another type of recall which has got the German car manufacturer's motor running.

As part of our push to remind you marcomms folk to get your entries in for the 2013 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards (entries close 5pm Friday 24 May), we're asking some past winners to tell us about their glorious victory, what it meant to the business and why these awards are different. Hello there Denise Goodwin, ex-Volkswagen marketing chief and now head of marketing at Flooring Brands.

Dow Design is on a mission to prove the commercial value of good design. And with a win in the TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards for Fonterra, a finalist in the new Best Effect Award for Hellers, a number of big redesigns for big FMCG brands, it seems to be doing a good job of it. Founder Annie Dow and business development director Jenny McMillan speak their piece.

While Volkswagen dominates overseas, research showed that Kiwis thought the brand was too cold, too bland and too European. So to change that, it invested heavily in indigenous research and advertising, launched some very successful new products and quickly went from ‘niche street to main street’. National marketing manager Denise Goodwin opines on the year that was.

We'll be showcasing all the winners of the TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards on StopPress over the coming days. And we're kicking things off with big winner Volkswagen, which invested heavily in indigenous research and advertising to better connect the brand with Kiwis, launched some very successful new products and quickly went from ‘niche street to main street’.

Job of the Week

Latest comments

John

Kia Ora Davey. I appreciate your lengthy discussion but the time has come to object to the fact you are putting words in my mouth, if you pardon the pun. You have gone to the trouble of linking me details ...

Hi John, so what you're saying is, in order to know what people's favourite ad's are, they asked the open-ended question "what is your favourite ad on TV at the moment?" and this is bad because someone else asked this ...

G’day David. Yes, I had a read prior and you would find the open ended methodology and sample size are exactly the same. Only different is this sample excludes 60+ years and use an outsourced panel. Personally I feel over ...

Genius From Elsewhere

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A Havard student, a Palestinian from Lebanon, says he was barred from entering the United States due to his friends’ social media posts. Ismail Ajjawi, 17, says a custom agent took issue with posts written by others.

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YouTube is experimenting with an algorithm change to reduce the spread of what it calls “borderline content” in the UK, after a similar trial in the US resulted in a substantial drop in views. According to chief executive, Susan Wojcicki, the move is intended to give quality content “more of a chance to shine” and has the effect of reducing views from recommendations by 50 percent.

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A social media strategist has written an open letter to the Australian advertising and media industries. Amber Robinson says talking about mental health is no longer enough, it’s time to take responsibility.

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The latest campaign from Doritos tries to see how far the snack’s brand awareness can go without overt branding. Banking on the iconic status of both its product and packaging, the chip brand has removed its name and logo entirely reports Adweek.

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Facebook is tightening its rules around political advertising ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, an acknowledgement of previous misuse reports Fortune. The changes include a tightened verification process that will require anyone wanting to run ads pertaining to elections, politics or big social issues like guns and immigration to confirm their identity and prove they are in the U.S.

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Why we like it: An intriguing campaign that forced viewers to give a shit from sheer confusion. Fe-Cal Kids ran as an online stunt by Dettol cleaning company and FCB. Getting the help of local influencers to push out its brand over social, people were quick to point out the closeness of Fe-Cal and fecal. The confusion as to why a kids clothing company was named after bodily extractions was quickly uncovered, with Dettol later confirming on the Fe-Cal page that it was all a hoax. The hoax was to show that 78 percent of clothes tested straight from the washing machine contained traces of live fecal bacteria. Nasty.

Who's it for: Pepsi Max for The All Blacks

Why we like it: There is nothing we like more than seeing a group of grandmothers roasting our national team for wearing their shirts to tight. Pepsi Max, the official soft drink of the All Blacks, used the three women to promote 'No Sugar Coaching' a nice way of saying 'insulting', which we are completely game for. The three players struggle to answer the 'tough' questions by the women, with the unscripted answers from the boys adding some humour to the tense situation.

Who's it for: Merdian for Garage Project

Why we like it: The collaboration between Garage Project brewery and Meridian – who only generate electricity from 100 percent renewable resources – is the first time that the certified renewable energy mark has been made available in New Zealand. The fun two-minute-long clip battles against the winds of Wellington to show the story behind the new beer. The picturesque landscape paired with Garage Project's casual style makes for an unexpected yet successful collaboration.

Who's it for: Māori Language Commission by Augusto

Why we like it: Even though Cocka Tumeke is a sweet little bird with dead eyes, he is hawking a good lesson in this campaign; that if a native Australian feather duster of a bird can pick up some te reo Māori, then so can our Kiwis. Cocka Tumeke in the campaign dances around not overly paying attention to what's happening around him, proving that the challenge should be fairly simple. The nonchalant bird is supported by a cheeky narration, with an attempt of banter that the bird is just not into. Overall, a fun look at a very important issue.